Backlog Quest: Day 24 – Goldeneye 007 Reloaded – Reviewed not stirred

Today I played a game, named after an old game, but really a remake of a remake.

Confused? You’re not the only one. When Activision first announced that they were going to be bringing Goldeneye back fans went crazy with excitement. When they announced that the remake was going to be on the Wii and that it would actually be a completely new game; the response was more crazy and less excitement. With the released of Goldeneye 007 Reloaded, a remake of the remake for Xbox 360 and PS3, the Wii version gets a visual upgrade but not much else. So does this remake of a remake deserve your time, money and of course the name of Goldeneye?

The answer to that is a little mixed to say the least. It is a little hard to properly review a game that is both an update and a total remake of one of gaming’s most iconic titles. Are you reviewing the differences or the game itself? With this dichotomy in mind I’ll break it down two ways.

Almost nothing about Goldeneye 007 Reloaded is directly pulled from the original game outside of the basic plot. Purist will just want to go ahead and skip this outright, as their heads will explode. The story was never really the best part of Goldeneye, so it is somewhat confusing really that they would even bother attaching the name to this project; rather than just crafting a new Bond FPS game like they did with 007: Blood Stone and build a multiplayer around the classic Goldeneye. Well, okay, so it isn’t really surprising because we all know that game made way more money going this route. You can’t help but compare the games though and while there are some obvious nods to the original (vents in particular), when you change pretty much everything but the basic plot (even Pierce has been replaced with Craig) there just doesn’t seem to be much of a point in even keeping the plot (it’s not really a pivotal Bond film by any means anyway). As a remake, the game is an almost total disappointment.

Standing on its own the game fairs a bit better; though not by much. Despite apparently being completely overhauled with a new game engine for 360 and PS3, Goldeneye 007 Reloaded still looks dated. In fact, until I looked into it and saw there was a new game engine I had simply assumed that they just did some simple re-skining of the Wii version to make it look better in HD. The game plays clunky, has less than clear objectives at times and has several moments that are just completely obnoxious to play (such as the end boss). Really it just comes down to the game being a James Bond FPS, which hasn’t been the norm for a while (with far more third person games over the years). Ultimately, it is almost amazing that a game that was completely re-made could feel so dated and clunky.

If you are looking for nostalgia, you’ll be disappointed. If you are looking for a great new experience, you’ll be disappointed. The game isn’t exceptionally bad or anything, it just feels incredibly pointless. I would have much rather seen either a more faithful re-make of the original or a completely new James Bond FPS game instead.
Tomorrow I drive and swear a lot on my 3DS with Driver: Renegade.

Final Rating: 6/10

CBR Break Down:
Console Played On: Xbox 360Time to completion: 6 hours and 45 minutesGamer Score Earned: 155/1000Price Bought at: $29.99Current Price: $39.99 (Amazon)Recommend Purchase Price: I regret paying more than $15.Why you should buy it: We still have some time before the next Bond film.Why you shouldn’t buy it: You loved the original.